DESIGN ARTWORK FOR LA OPERA’S PRODUCTION OF SALOMEAre you a budding graphic designer or artist – or know one?

Salome (1986); Photo: Frederick Ohringer

LA Opera is hosting a contest for currently enrolled college art and design students in Southern California.

You are invited to submit artwork for LA Opera’s spring production of Strauss’s Salome. The winning submission will be featured on the cover of the show’s performance program and displayed at the home of LA Opera, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

This contest is made possible with the generous support of GRoW@Annenberg.

What will you win?The winning submissions will receive a combination of cash and recognition at the show.

First Prize: $5,000

Second Prize: $2,000

Third Prize: $1,000

Winners will be invited to attend the opening night performance of Salome (February 18, 2017) and the Cast Supper that follows the show.

Walk into a room and mention you’re heading to the opera. I bet you’ll get some confused looks and head scratching. For me, the response is typically, “You – an opera fan?” So try it and don’t be surprised if you hear some of these.

But you don’t look like an opera fan, what gives?

What does an opera fan look like? I thought I knew, but when I look around the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (LA Opera’s home) during a performance, I see all sorts of people. Parents with their teenagers, hipsters on first dates, girlfriends on outings, couples young and old on a regular night out, groups celebrating special milestones, others dressed in costumes to emulate the production. You name it; you’ll see it in the theater and on the red carpet out front.

A timeless classic,Moby Dick sits atop just about every literary reading list. You’ve heard of it, you’ve probably read it and if you have a high school freshman, like I do, it’s on their reading list right now.

And as said freshman pointed out, the book is big – really big.

On October 31, Moby Dick – the opera – opens at LA Opera.While reading the novel can seem daunting due to the sheer volume of details, the opera brings the story to life. We’d never recommend you see the opera instead of reading the novel – it’s not a substitute or the Cliffs notes version or anything – but, the opera provides you with a rich and vibrant telling that’s pretty close to the big book. (It really is the perfect way to get the would-be reader excited about the classic tale.)